The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has issued this Food Safety Information Notice (FSIN) to advise seafood processors of changes to the permitted use of nitrates and nitrites in processed fishery products. Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/2108, adopted on 6 October 2023, revises maximum limits for these additives to reduce consumer exposure to nitrosamines, while ensuring microbiological safety in foods such as meat, fish, and cheese. The Regulation introduces changes for Food Category 09.2 Processed fish and fishery products including molluscs and crustaceans. The new limits will apply from 9 October 2025.
This FSIN includes details such as,
- Key Changes and Reduced Authorised Limits
- Fishery Products to which the reduced authorised limits apply
- Effective Date and Transitional Arrangements and,
- Actions that Food Business Operators must take to ensure compliance with the revised regulations.
The SFPA is committed to supporting compliance with both new and existing legislation and is available to provide guidance. For assistance or further details on the FSIN, please contact sfpafood&fisheriessupport@sfpa.ie
ENDS
Note to the Editor
This FSIN can be found on our website on this page Seafood Safety Information Notices and Guidance | Sea Fisheries Protection Authority or
via this link FFSU-FS-IN-10-25 Reduced limits for Nitrate-Nitrite Additives in Processed Fish+Fishery Products
About the SFPA
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) is the independent statutory body responsible for the regulation of the sea-fisheries and the sea-food production sectors. It promotes compliance with the EU Common Fisheries Policy, sea-fisheries law and food safety law relating to fish and fish products, verifies compliance and, where necessary, enforces it. Its mandate covers all fishing vessels operating within Ireland’s 200-mile limit, over 2,000 Irish registered fishing vessels wherever they operate, and all seafood produced in Ireland’s seafood processing companies. The SFPA operates through a network of regional port offices situated at Ireland’s main fishery harbours. For further information visit: www.sfpa.ie